Industry hero seeks partners for expansion

Founded by industry mainstay Peter Meyer in the late 1980s, the last three decades have seen Blinds by Peter Meyer evolve into one of Australia’s most highly regarded manufacturers of quality blinds and shading solutions. The company’s wide ranging offering includes manual and motorised screen products; translucent and blockout roller blinds; Australia’s most extensive range of natural woven blinds;  roman blinds in screen, translucent and blockout and the hugely popular Simply Cell + Pleat collection out of Germany. The company is also well known for its comprehensive fabric collection and successful custom painted and stained cedar venetian program, which has just been boosted through the use of economical wood alternative in the Habitus Venetians range.

With the second generation of the Meyer family, Peter Meyer’s sons, Simon and Damien, now at the helm of the business, the company’s embodied knowledge and expertise, coupled with innovative ideas, are driving a further expansion of the business into new and exciting territories. This dynamic is embodied by recent strategic acquisitions; leading German manufactured awning brand Weinor is playing an ever more central role in Blind by Peter Meyer’s success. More recently the company also gained access to technical smarts and innovation in curtain tracking via an agreement with Silent Gliss to be its Australia manufacturing partner, which gives it access to the full range of Silent Gliss roller blinds, technical fabrics and systems and world renowned curtains tracking systems.  

WEINOR

Blinds by Peter Meyer first ushered the Weinor brand into the Australian market in late 2014, bringing with it a long legacy of European manufacturing. Founded  in Germany in 1960, Weinor’s specialist focus on sun protection systems offered a clear bonus for the climate-driven demands of the Australian market, in particular since Weinor has, since the early ‘90s, been part of Griesser Holding AG, a leading Swiss manufacturer of sun protection solutions. 

Blinds by Peter Meyer Managing Director Simon Meyer says Weinor’s highly engineered, modular solutions are a perfect fit for the design requirements of Australian homes’ outdoor spaces.

“The Weinor brand brings premium quality, state-of-the-art manufacturing, and a strong commitment to customer service to the international and Australian markets. At Blinds by Peter Meyer, some of our most central and innovative new releases come via the prestigious Weinor brand.”  

These product lines cover many of the key requirements of the Australian market with designs that offer visual and functional benefits: 

PLAZA VIVA PERGOLA AWNING

The Plaza Viva pergola awning, (featured on this issue’s cover) offers sun protection as well as protection from wet weather. A geared crank handle enables the awning to be easily lowered to achieve the correct pitch to allow water to be drained off to one side, and the wall bracket has floating bearings so the system is relieved of pressure during the downwards movement and remains inherently stable. A compensation joint on the post in the transition to the side channel achieves the same effect. Both guarantee that the pitch of the entire awning is ideally adjusted. Meanwhile Plaza Viva’s wind stability up to wind force six is made possible by a solid side channel. Reinforcement is not necessary and it can be fitted much more quickly and easily as a result, a process also made easier due to a service opening in the cassette, offering easy access to the drive and control elements.

Managing Director Simon Mayer says the real standout feature of Plaza Viva is its elegant appearance, which is designed so that almost all fixings are invisible from the outside. Optional LED lighting can be integrated into the cassette and Plaza Viva can also be fitted with a crank operated Valance Plus, which provides reliable privacy and glare protection even with a low-lying sun. This all-weather solution can be made up to 6m wide x 5m projection and with its superior wind stability is really opening up a market in cost effective retractable roofing solutions.

KUBATA CASSETTE AWNING

Kubata is a new generation of awnings with a unique cubic shaped cassette. When closed, the awning cassette echoes the clean lines of modern home designs and offers a smooth, screw-less surface aesthetic. Kubata features a back bar support offering more flexible mounting of brackets to enable  fast and secure installation. The product is supported by the Weinor LongLife arm, which has an impressively long service life and runs quietly. A wind lock safety device also protects against gusts from below. Other features of the product include that the drop profile is equipped with a drainage system that reliably protects the fabric from getting wet when the cassette is closed. Two gutters collect the rainwater and channel it off sideways. The cover plates on both sides of the cassette can also be easily removed using clip technology, enabling easier access to the control’s cable connection for maintenance work. The Kubata awning is also able to be made up to 7000mm wide with only two arms, making for perfect symmetry when looking from underneath the awning.

VERTITEXX II EXTERIOR ROLLER BLIND

Weinor VertiTex exterior roller blind  recently underwent a design upgrade, with the VertiTex II featuring a streamlined cassette, measuring just 75 mm high, in both the round and square versions, while also offering an enhanced design for easier installation.

“The VertiTex II offers protection from solar glare and heat and is in high demand from customers seeking a deck or terrace roof, pergola awning, window, balcony or conservatory. Co-ordinating guide rails, new fixing techniques and the extremely small cassette shape also allow the VertiTex II to be fitted to difficult facade areas such as window niches or embrasures.”

The product’s streamlined cassette is designed to work with wide width windows, due to its patented Weinor Opti-Flow-System, which prevents the tube from deflecting under load; it ensures the fabric is ideally positioned and fabric widths of up to 6000mm can be achieved easily.  The small roller tube for the VertiTex II also features a floating bearing and yields when the fabric is wound up, meaning the tube is supported securely over the entire width of the awning, does not bow and the fabric is always ideally positioned. The cantilever housing is designed to be fixed without brackets, using guide rails; a fixing possible to widths up to 2.5 metres, as a result of which the exterior roller blind  can also be used in very small niches. As a result, the VertiTex II is suitable for any installation situation, works particularly well for replacement and retrofitting and boasts the smallest cassette on the market of 75mm while still being able to span the 6000mm widths.

PERGOTEX II PERGOLA AWNING

Offering the benefits of both an awning and exterior roof shelter, the PergoTex II awning is a waterproof system with folding technology. It features easy installation and maintenance and a modern design. The awning features robust, rainproof PVC material, which is also soil-repellent and wind-stable. The awning “roof” can also be opened at the touch of a button.

Meyer points out that reliable drainage is a key innovation to this product, with Weinor’s development department adding key updates to the second generation PergoTex system. “For example, there are now some impressive innovations for controlled rain drainage. The fabric safety shield is now designed as an aluminium chamber profile, resulting in reduced noise levels when it rains. And a well-engineered drainage system prevents water from dripping onto the fabric or the patio uncontrollably; enabling rain to be guided down through the posts via a gutter. The gutter and posts are also fitted with separate chambers, allowing leads to be laid for add-on products. The Pergola awning can be installed with pitches ranging from zero to 25 degrees. A minimum pitch of eight degrees guarantees reliable rain drainage, without any water bags forming.”

Characteristic of the Weinor brand, easy installation and maintenance are key benefits. Weinor has integrated the optionally available LED lighting in the cross-struts of the folding awning, saving the installer the effort of installing a separate light bar. Tough, long-lasting components ensure even running-in and lifting. The awning also features a strong toothed belt on ball bearings, along with very quiet rollers.

SILENT GLISS

Last year saw Blinds by Peter Meyer secure the manufacturing and distribution rights for curtain tracking specialist Silent Gliss in Australia and New Zealand, following the closure of Silent Gliss’ Australian office in March 2019. Simon Meyer says a key benefit in the acquisition of the Silent Gliss lay in aligned values, including a dedication to excellent quality. Most significantly, the two companies have a solid shared heritage; Blinds by Peter Meyer, previously known as Le Blinde, was established following the purchase of the Ballauff Woven timber business by Peter Meyer from Terry Bayliss who was the owner of Silent Gliss in Australia 30 years ago. The two companies have shared common clients over the years as well as a common agent in New Zealand. And they’re both positioned at the high end of the market. 

Blinds by Peter Meyer will continue the curtain track element of the Silent Gliss business, with wheels in motion to expand the curtain track range, with a new track expected to hit the market in the short term.  

A key recent release in the Silent Gliss range has been the 2C glider, positioned as one of the quietest runners ever developed. The product’s gliders are manufactured using a hard component that ensures stability and a soft filling to absorb noise, resulting in unparalleled silent operation. 

Meyer says the product is set to increasingly occupy a well deserved premium positioning in the market. 

“One thing that I’d like to change market perception about is Silent Gliss’s curtain track pricing. The hand and cord operated tracks are technically, and design wise, the best on the market but they have a perception of being too expensive which is far from being the case. These  products are in fact positioned very competitively, especially with the patented 2C glider components making for the quietest operation on the market.”

A FUTURE BUILD ON COLLABORATION

Meyer says the next chapter for Blinds By Peter Meyer will be marked by an ongoing commitment to quality across the business, be that in terms of material and build quality or the acquisition of innovative and distinctive products. 

Further expansion will also be central to this new chapter, and critical to that will be an expanded dealership network. 

“We have over 30 years of product and manufacturing expertise under our belts and through strategic acquisitions we now also have category leading brands in the form of Weinor and Silent Gliss to  work with,” he says. “Our vision is to expand these highly successful brands throughout new dealer networks across Australia. We’re currently encouraging potential new dealers to reach out to us if they are keen to ride the success of Weinor and Silent Gliss as well as our great Blinds by Peter Meyer product ranges.”